If It's Not 'Baroque'
by EldestofFiveSisters15
Summary: Little family fluff story, brought on by my over-working imagination. After all isn't that what all fanfictions are? Drabble concerning events during the 2k12 ep. "I Think His Name is Baxter Stockman" I do NOT own any of the mentioned characters or any of the other things and people I borrowed. R&R Please.


A/N: First TMNT ficlete, I watched the 2012 tv show all the way to the end of the first season and hated it in the beginning, because it just didn't compare to the TMNT that I remembered watching every Saturday morning. So then I went and rewatched ALL the 2003-2009 and the Turtles Forever movie, yeah, I love all the forms of TMNT now and felt inspired to write this when I noted the fact that Raph had his sai stuck in his shell, and upon looking closer, I saw that Leo's katana were broken, in the episode 'I Think His Name is Baxter Stockman.' So I also want to thank FantasiaWandering for causing me to look closely and critically at the episodes. I would recommend you read her awesome stories, especially Falling. Ok, I'll stop talking now.

If it's not Baroque

(Don't Fix It)

"_But Captain! How can we possibly obliterate these blood-sucking Bentersive VII Vampires if all our weapons are destroyed!?" Ensign Crankshaw cried. _

_In response to Crankshaw's panicking Captain Ryan slapped his face. "We'll just have to fix them then, or do without!" Captain Ryan struck the most heroic pose on the TV screen among the animated explosions and screams of the other crew members. _

Leo sighed as he sat on his knees in front of the screen. This episode was one of the few Space Heroes reruns he hadn't seen in forever. "If it makes you feel any better, Captain. I completely understand." He looked forlornly down at his snapped katana. Since coming back to the lair and being caught by Master Splinter, he hadn't really had time to realize the amount of damage that had been done in their fight with the 'Stockman-Pod.'

Shortly after their defeated return, Splinter had released them from his angry gaze with the fearsome words; "Clean yourselves up, then we will talk." How he could make such normal words make the turtle's cold blood run even colder, was a mystery that even fifteen years living with him couldn't explain.

Leo had gotten the shower first, which left him with plenty of time to watch Space Heroes as well as think about what their punishment would be. To be honest, Leo wished he could have Mikey's care-free attitude at the moment so he could stop dreading their 'talk' with their father.

"Would you just hold still, Raph?! You're acting almost as bad as Mikey!"

"Hey! Compare me to Mikey again and I'll compare your face with my fist!"

Donnie frowned as he adjusted his hold on one of the sai stuck fast in Raphael's shell. "How did you get these in here anyway?"

"I don't know!" Raph stroked Spike's head from where he sat in Raph's lap. He stiffened as Donatello pulled with all his might on the sai. The only thing it accomplished was in throwing Donnie off-balance, causing said turtle to fall over backwards onto his shell.

"If I wasn't so worried about Sensei kicking our shells into next month; that would be hilarious." Raph sent over his shoulder at his sprawled brother. Donnie glared.

"Fine, you get your stupid weapons out of your own shell! It doesn't matter to me if you don't have them when you need them." Donnie stood up and stalked off to his lab, picking up the pieces of his bō on the way and throwing them in a garbage can. Raph muttered dark things in Japanese as he reached one of his hands around grasping one sai and tugging. Unfortunately, the position Raph was in meant he could not get any leverage, so even his superior strength accomplished nothing. He looked at Leo, who was still moping in front of the TV with his broken katana in hand. Sighing in exasperation at having to admit any kind of weakness, Raph raised his voice from his mutterings. "Hey, Chief! Give a hand will ya?"

"Sure, no problem." Leo laid his blades on the ground, and muted the TV. Springing lightly out of the pit he placed a foot against Raph's shell, and wrapped his fingers around the handle and through the side prongs of the sai. Bracing his foot, Leo tugged smoothly and firmly.

The sai pulled free without warning, the momentum throwing Leonardo backwards. Turning the movement into a back-flip, Leo flipped the sai and tossed them to his red-masked brother. Raph nodded his thanks, placed Spike on his shoulder and jumped down on the bench to sharpen the sai. The scraping of the sharpening stone against the sai was a comforting rasp, breaking the silence of the lair.

Leo sat down again in front of the television, looking down at his damaged weapons, "How am I going to fix you? It's not like I have a spare set just lying around."

"Hey girl, can I talk to ya? If I was your boyfriend, never let you go. Keep you on my arm, girl, you'd never be alone. I can be a gentleman, anything you want. If I was your boyfriend, I'd never let you go." Mikey danced out of the bathroom, a large towel wrapped around his middle, heading toward his room. Leo sighed, long-sufferingly, turning up the volume on the TV. Raph growled in annoyance.

"Mikey?" The orange-masked mutant paused in his dancing and singing to look at his toughest, older brother where he sat on the bench.

"Yeah?"

"How many times have I told you not to sing that Bieber trash?" Raph continued sharpening his sai, adding a sinister bent to his words.

"Umm… a lot?" Mikey started edging in the direction of his bedroom slowly.

"That's what I thought. Now, how many times have I threatened to cream you if you kept at it?" Mikey cringed.

"You haven't yet."

"Maybe I should, since askin' nicely ain't working." Raph laid one sai down, picking up the other. The rasping began again. Leo rolled his eyes at Raphael's scare tactic. Mikey whined something under his breath.

"What was that, Mikey?"

"I said; I don't get why you aren't a 'Belieber?'" Raph sighed in mock patience.

"I'm not a 'Beleiber' for a very obvious reason. I'm just more of a man than he is."

Leo snorted, and Donnie, walking out of his room carrying some cloth strips he used to bind his staffs, decided to put in his two bits. "You know that's really saying something coming from a short, mutant turtle."

Leo shook his head warningly at Donnie, but Donnie only looked at Leo with a pointed, knowing look. He knew what he was doing. Getting a physical fight going would relieve the pent up tension that was causing the fight to begin with. It was better to get the battling out of their system now, before Master Splinter started the family meeting. If the tension was left festering, then the fight might break out then. They were in enough trouble as it was.

Leo grimaced, he might as well do his part since it was his job as leader to notice these moments when there needed to be an emotional outlet, not Donnie's. Besides, he knew exactly what needed to be said to escalate the argument and Donnie shouldn't be the one to say it. "Raph, calm down, Mikey may make some weird choices," Mikey's 'hey' in protest was ignored as Leo continued. "But that doesn't give you the right to criticize him."

Raph glared. "And what gives you the right to criticize me?" Leo rolled his eyes, playing the perfect role to upset his brother.

"I'm the leader, and besides I'm not criticizing you I'm critiquing you." Leonardo crossed his arms in front of his plastron. Mikey shot a questioning look at Donatello.

"To critique is to make a critical analysis of someone, usually a behavior, in the hope of bettering that individual." Donnie stated raising a finger in the air. Mikey shook his head in confusion at his brother. Donnie sighed. "It means he's trying to change Raph's bad behavior to you by pointing it out to him."

Raph threw up his hands in frustration. "Thanks, Donnie, for that lovely clarification, but that still doesn't explain why Leo's acting like some high-and-mighty Splinter Jr."

Leo looked at Raph steadily, ignoring the verbal jab. "I'll try to explain so you'll understand. Just because we got our shells handed to us on a platter doesn't give you the right to take it out on Mikey, or Donnie, or anyone else. If you've got a problem you can hash it out with me." Raph picked Spike off his shoulder, set him down on one of the green pillows sitting on the pit bench; and stood up slowly, fists clenched.

"Maybe I will." He growled taking a step toward Leonardo. Donatello stepped in between his brothers, placing a calm hand on each of their chests.

"Guys, stop it. We're going to go talk with Sensei in a minute, and I don't think he'd be terribly pleased if you fought all through that talk."

Leonardo laughed harshly, still playing his role, "Well if this hothead would put some actions behind his threats, we could get this fight over with so we won't bother Master Splinter with it."

"That's it! I'll give _you_ actions!" Raphael launched himself at his older brother with a furious cry. Leo stepped to the side, letting Raph barrel right by him. Flipping out of the pit, Leo waggled a finger at his livid brother. Raph growled, and punched Mikey in the gut. Michelangelo bent over in sudden pain, clutching his middle. He tilted his head up at Raphael.

"Dude! What did _I _do?!"

Raph turned to chase after Leo, saying over his shoulder, "You stood still, besides you're an easier target than Leo."

Donnie scoffed in indignant rage. "That's not fair at all, Raph! You really are a hothead!" He jumped his brother, bringing Raph to the floor. Sitting heavily on Raph's shell so he couldn't move, Donnie called to Mikey. "Now _he's_ an easy target. Go ahead Mikey." Mikey grinned, easily getting over his injury. Leaping forward with a yelled, "Booyah-Kasha!" Mikey seized his immobilized victim's head and began his vicious assault. "I am the… Noogie-Monster! I will haunt your dreams, Raphael!" Mikey's laughter was contagious and Donnie soon joined in laughing so hard that he fell off, there was something about their toughest brother's face at being noogied that struck them as hilarious. Leo stood above them, smiling. His work was done. Raph twisted out of Mikey's grasp and stood up, no longer angry, well a little less angry anyways.

"You're gonna pay for that you little green twerp!" He chased Mikey around the room ignoring his screams of "Have mercy!" and "Would this be a bad time to point out that you're little and green too?! AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Donnie and Leo shared twin grins, enjoying the fact that things were back to normal, almost.

The sliding paper door to the dojo slid open almost silently. The quiet command of, "Yame," paused all four turtles. Master Splinter stood in the shadow of the doorway. "We must talk, my sons."

…

Leonardo stayed kneeling in the dojo while his brothers left to prepare for the upcoming fight with the "Stockman-Pod." Donatello spun his new bo, testing it's balance and feel. Raph pounded Mikey's head in response to his comment, "So, Raph are those holes in your shell a better place for your salad tongs, than your belt?"

The noise faded until only silence was left. Leo looked at his father waiting for the obvious question. Splinter stroked his beard slowly, thoughtfully. "What is it that troubles you so, my son?"

"Father, I am sorry. I know that it's a lot harder to replace katana than it is a bō. I truly didn't mean to. How am I supposed to help my brother's against Baxter Traxmen or Tracey Stockhome… whatever his name is without my weapon?"

"Let me see the damage."

Leo got up and ran to the wall slot where he kept his swords whenever he wasn't using, wearing, or cleaning them. Returning, Leo put them in his father's outstretched hand. The human-sized rat looked over the broken blades fingering where there were nicks in the steel and where the rest of the sword had snapped.

"What you said is true, Leonardo, about replacing katana. However, I believe it should be a simple matter to collect the items needed to repair them. For now you must choose a second weapon from the rack to use in the upcoming combat. Your brothers will need you be their side."

Leo's face grew even more depressed, "Hai, Sensei_." Why did he break his katana? Even if it was an accident, he should have taken more care. _Leo moved to the rack._ Mace? __**No.**__ Scythes? __**No.**__ Tonfa? __**No.**_"Sensei, don't we have anything like my katana?"

Splinter turned around and looked at his son, "No."

A loud commotion from the common room grabbed the attention of father and son. "Sorry!" A female voice called after an explosive crash and heavy thud. "I didn't see you there!"

"My cookies!" Mikey exclaimed.

A breathless April rushed into the dojo carrying a long package wrapped in brown paper.

"I ran and got them as soon as I got your text, Sensei," April smiled a greeting at Leo while handing off the package. Three curious mutants enter the dojo, each trying to hide his curiosity.

"You text, Sensei?" Mikey asked in disbelief. Raph quickly seconded the question.

"Yeah, I thought you didn't get all that technology stuff." Master Splinter looked witheringly at his two youngest sons.

"How else would I contact you? Especially when you are on the surface. I have employed Miss O'Neil to test her kunoichi skills of invisibility and stealth by follow you on several patrols. We keep in contact through Donatello's cellular devices." The four turtles stared in shock, mouths open. Then they all began speaking at once.

"Oh, yeah, I remember giving you a Shell Cell now."

"April's tailed us? Us?! Several times and we haven't noticed?"

"Sweet, Sensei! Can I add you to my contacts?"

"Nice job, April!" Raph high-fived her. Master Splinter thudded his green, crystal staff to regain their attention. "Now, Leonardo must still choose a replacement weaponfor your upcoming battle and until I use his broken Katana as a leasson on repairing damaged weaponry." Splinter brought the package to the rack unwrapping it as he spoke. "However, first I must add something to this collection."

Sitting on top of the brown paper in Master Splinter's hand were twin katana. They were uncanny copies of Leo's. The only thing different was that the handles, instead of the red leather wrapped around yellow to form the yellow diamonds and yellow capped end, were black leather with blue diamonds and blue capped end.

Leonardo stared at the katana, flicking his gaze between them and his Father's expressionless face. The giant rat moved, placing the swords on two hooks in the wall, turning to the group of teens in the dojo, Splinter focused on his eldest son. "Choose."

Leo walked and placed a tentative finger on one of the new blades, running it softly up the length of the steel. Picking up one of them Leo tested the balance, swinging it, going through several attack positions.

Leo replaced the katana, and turned to his teacher and father. "I choose these katana, Sensei. And I thank you for understanding me and my needs better than I do myself." He grinned at Master Splinter. "Besides I'm sure you know what would probably happen should I have to use a different weapon."

Splinter inclined his head, acknowledging Leonardo's choice and spoke one word. "Chaos."

Leo looked at the swords gleaming on the wall, with his brothers chattering excitedly with April about them. "But if you don't mind, Sensei. I think I'd like to change the handle leather." The leader of the four brothers joined the conversation, and smacking Mikey's hand away from his new katana.

Master Splinter smiled softly, leaving the dojo for his room and meditation mat. After all, he thought, if it's not Baroque, don't fix it.


End file.
